'Jaws' Author Dies


Jaws author Peter Benchley died in his Princeton, New Jersey home on Saturday night. He was 65. The writer, whose 1974 best-selling novel was adapted into Steven Spielberg's movie blockbusters, died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and a fatal scarring of the lungs, his widow Wendy confirmed. Despite his novel turning sharks into objects of fear for millions of people around the world, the author was a long-time campaigner for the conservation of the sea creatures. Wendy says, "Spielberg certainly made the most superb movie; Peter was very pleased. But Peter kept telling people the book was fiction, it was a novel, and that he no more took responsibility for the fear of sharks than Mario Puzo took responsibility for the Mafia." Benchley is survived by three children and five grandchildren.

I guess he had a full life and I will always be greatful for the work that he gave me. I have read JAWS 4 times and seen the movie hundreds of times.

RIP Peter Benchley.

Does no one know who Peter Benchley is? Does no one care?

I know who he is.

R.I.P.

Beast and White Shark.

RIP

R.I.P.

I read Jaws actually before seeing the movie, believe it or not.

To commemorate him, would funeral services be held at the pacific ocean with his body being thrown to and devoured by the great white sharks?

Maybe he should be set out to sea. I'll probably read his novel again now. JAWS is a very simple but immensely entertaining book.

did he get eaten by a shark?

With a better ending than the movie, IMO.

Yea, the ending of the book is a little more subtle. But the ending of the movie is pure Hollywood, and necessary, imo.

Certainly. The book's ending would be disappointing for mass audiences, but in the book itself it works very good.

Agreed 100%!!

Ah, The creater of one of my biggest fears. Sorry to hear this.

RIP Mister Benchley

Peter Benchley wrote the book that spanned the original blockbuster. I loved The Deep as well.

R.I.P.

Refresh my memory.. I forgot, how does the book JAWS end?? The movie's ending was really the only way to do it in, but I forgot the book's ending..

Quint gets pulled under water nad drowns as his leg gets tangled on one of the barrels and then because the shark has so many barrels in him (4 I think ), he finally drowns as well. It's kind of anticlimatic.

But more realistic too : )

And I think it was three barrels, but it's a long time ago that I read the book. It is mentioned that the shark simply cannot handle the pressue so deep underwater and therefore dies there, together with Quint.

You could be right Doc. Three barrels sounds reasonable. But I haven't read it in quite a while as well.

awww

Well that shark in the movie handled 3 barrels with no problem, so knowing how the book ended VS the movie, I'd take the movie version anyday over the book.. I suppose though it was a little more realistic but imagine if the movie had ended that way?? An Alternate Ending for a 50th Anniversary Edition of JAWS..

I remember when Spielberg was asked why he felt the need to end the film with such a deviation from the book, and he replied, and I am paraphrasing of course..." Because I have played with the audience so much by then end of the film, I cna do anything I want, as long as the shark meets his maker, the audience will buy it. " And he is right. The movie version plays much better visually and the ending in the book plays much better imaginatively.

Jaws was a really good book. Basically Moby Dick for the masses. The Deep was decent and the Island was junk. I stopped reading him after that book. He was also the grandson of Robert Benchley founder of the Algonquin Round Table, Campbell Scott played him in the the movie Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle. Even though his writing and I parted ways, he will always have a soft spot in my heart. His book introduced me to the world of literary sex and for that I will always be grateful. He also impressed me when he would should up on the Discovery channel or some other cable channel and advocate for shark research and conservation.